1. Field of the Invention
This invention refers to a ring for fixing of a sealing cover on ball joints that are applied in connections that require angular and rotational movement of two pieces, more specifically, for application in automotive vehicles.
2. Description of Related Art
The ball joints intended for this purpose need a sealing system to prevent impurities such as dust, sand and water from penetrating its interior and affecting the operation by the premature wearing out of their components, since these pieces operate by the coupling of their components. The components must possess between themselves the best possible conformation, since, after the mounting of the coupled assembly it is applied a certain load of displacement to the movable pieces, which load is produced by the friction of these movable pieces between themselves. As a consequence, the presence of impurities between the pieces operating under friction action tends to cause a premature wearing out of the components and the wear of the ball joint. The ball joints of the prior art are normally composed of a pin having the ball-type end coupled to a bearing, of single or split type. The ball joint assembly is mounted in the interior of a box, having a hole, through which has been mounted the ball pin and the bearing. The hole is subsequently sealed by a boot or sealing cover attached to the box, so as to prevent the entry of any impurity. At the end of the box, opposite to a closing cover, there is projected through the hole the non-spherical part of the pin, called a body of the ball pin, to which must be fixed one of the pieces that requires angular and rotational movement, while the other piece is fixed to the box of the ball joint. In this way, the angular and rotational movement provided between the ball pin and the box of the ball joint must attend the needs of the pieces that are there connected. However, there is a need in the sealing of the box through the boot or cover placed therein, to prevent the entry of impurities in the interior of the ball joint, in the opposite end, through where is projected the body of the ball pins. The sealing system must be perfect and efficient, mainly due the fact that it is in this place that the ball pin is moved angular and rotationally relative to the box. The prior art protects the interior of the ball joint with a sealing cover that is constituted by a boot or cover made of elastomer, with two ends open, one of bigger diameter, to be coupled to the external part of the box and the other of smaller diameter to be coupled to the body of the ball pin. When performing the coupling of the external part of the box, the fixing of the sealing cover normally is carried out in a channel provided therein, where is placed the end of bigger diameter of the sealing covers. The end of bigger diameter of the sealing ring is overlapped with an elastic ring, whose function is to fix the sealing cover on the box and prevent the entry of any impurity. The end of smaller diameter of the sealing ring is provided for the coupling of the body of the ball pin with a ring, commonly called sealing ring, whose function is to firmly fix the sealing cover on the body of the ball pin, preventing the entry of impurities, but not without allowing its rotational movement.
The existing sealing system of the sealing cover to the ball joint box, however, has shown some undesirable effects, related to the efficiency of the sealing and to the high cost arising from the machining of the channel in the box, to fasten the sealing cover, to the wasting of material resulting of the machining residues, and even to the manufacturing difficulties of the system related to the assembling of the elastic rings on the ball joints, where may occur damages to the sealing cover.
The present invention overcomes these undesirable effects, providing a sealing system of a ball joint with a novel construction of a straining ring and with the shaping of an end of bigger diameter of a sealing cover. The new construction of the straining ring provides a perfect connection with a ball joint box. The sealing system of this invention eliminates the machining of the box for the making of the channel, as it is required in the prior art, and may be utilized directly in the forged or stamped box, without any machining whatsoever, never getting loose from the assembling place and, with the close cooperation of the material of the sealing cover. The invention provides a perfect sealing of the ball joint preventing the entry of any impurity in the interior of the ball joint.